Method and means for temporarily plugging condenser leaks



, y 1935,- 0. .1. WHEELER 2,001,558

METHOD AND MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY PLUGGING CONDENSER LEAKS Filed March 1, 1933 INVENTOR 3 A TTORNi Y Patented May 14, 1935 PATENT OFF-ICE 7 METHOD AND MEANS FoR- TEMPORARILY PLUGGING- CONDENSER LEAKS Oscar J. Wheeler, Jersey City, N. J. Applicaticn March 1,- 193-3,'-Serial'No.' 659,109

5 Qlaims.

My present invention relates generally to water tubecondensers, and has particular reference to-"a' m'ethod and'means for temporarily plugging I leaks The leakage of cooling water from the circulating system of' a water-tube condenser into the condensingchamber or space surrounding the tube-is'a-matter of no inconsiderable importance when it'is borne in mind that the condensate is usually returned to the boilers, and that any impairment" of the purity or quality of the condensate' will necessarily have a corresponding eflect' upOn-the tubes of the boilers. It is of 7 special importance to guard against such leakage *actual danger to its cargo or passengers.

in the case of condensers of the character which are used on' many ocean steamers, in which the cooling water is drawn from the sea, inasmuch as the salts which would pollute the condensate area-10f great potential dangerif they are permitted, for any extensive period, to form in crustations upon the interior of the boiler tubes.

It'is, however, no simple matter to make permanent repairs in condenser tubes. The procedure is'time consuming, relatively expensive,

and obviously requires a shutdown of the con- It issageneral object of my present invention tocprovide-tan:improved and simplified method and device for temporarily plugging condensertubeeleaksxwithout the necessity for completely 'shuttihg :down the condenser or withdrawing it from .service. By the term temporary I refer torarrepairnwhich is adequate for at least a few days, and sometimes for as much as a week or two, to 'main'tain the condensate purity above a predetennined zsafe minimum. By means of my 5 inrthez least with 'the continuedoperation of a present invention, the cost of expensive cleaning orxrepairingof 'boilers, due to the presence of morethan 1a permissible amount of impurities in the-.zcondensate, is avoided, without interfering condenser for at least a reasonably suiiicient time to permit a planned schedule of operation to be maintained;

The type of temporary repair which my present invention provides for is a purely mechanical one, and consists in eiiectively plugging relatively minor leaks with a comminuted solid material. Although the type of leak-plugging material which I prefer to employ, and in connection with which my'present'apparatus and method func-. tion with greatest efficiency, is a special composi tion of a various number of particularingredients, it will be understood that my present invention does not relate to any particular composition of matter, as such, nor islthe present apparatus or method dependentupon the use of any particular leak-plugging material. Merely for the purpose of explaining the general nature of my present'in'vention, I will state that a com minuted fibrous material having the general characteristics of ordinary sawdust is the'general type'which my present invention aims to'employ for the purposes hereinbefore mentioned;

I have found that a comminuted' solid material of proper characteristics, if it can be caused to reach the point or area of leakage, will automatically proceed to accumulateitself into gobs Q or masses whichwill temporarily plug minor leaks by the ordinary mechanical process of clogging. It is, therefore, a particular feature of my invention to provide a method and device which may be'employed economically and simply, and with reliability,- to'deliver such material to the areas at which it is required, andin a manner whereby the passage of the'material through other portions of the circulating system, not requiring repair, will not impair or clog the system or interfere with thesmooth continuous operation of the condenser.

Experimentation has shown that the comminutedleak-plugging material is properly effective'at the points required, and properly ineffective at other points or areas, only if it is 7 caused -tobe thoroughly and adequately dispersed or suspended in the water of a circulating system. It is, therefore, a further feature of my invention to provide a means for effecting such dispersion. v I

Briefly, my invention resides in the step or steps-of forming a stream'of a high velocity fluid, such as steam, in feeding the solid leak-plugging material'laterally into the stream so as to ,cause injecting the'suspension; at high velocity, into the--'-circulating systemof the condenser which I a thorough 'dispersion'or suspension; and then is to be temporarily repaired. The injection is caused to be made at the inlet end of the circulating system, and preferably between the pump and the condenser.

Other general features of my invention lie in providing a device which is extremely simple in structural nature, feasible and economical to manufacture, install, and use, reliable, and staunch. My present invention provides for a device which is readily attachable to power plant installations already in operation, and is therefore of commercial and practical importance and value.

I achieve the foregoing objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, in the manner illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is an elevational view of my present device associated with a water-tube condenser, the latter being shown only in general contour; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section, upon an enlarged scale, of certain portions of the present device.

For the purpose of illustrating the general nature of my invention, I have shown a watertube condenser I0, provided with an inlet 28 for the steam which is to be condensed, and an outlet |2 from which the condensate is withdrawn. The detailed structure of the condenser has not been illustrated, since it is not material to my present invention, but it will be understood that a multiplicity of substantially horizontal tubes are arranged within the body I0, with suflicient space around them to permit the steam flowing into the condenser through the inlet 28 to come into contact with the surfaces of the tubes, thereby causing it to condense. The particular arrangement of the condenser tubes is not of material importance, but it will be understood that the tubes are usually supported at their opposite ends in tube sheets which communicate with the opposite headers l3 and I 4. The header l3, for example, may be provided with a baflie which will cause the circulating water to flow toward the other header through a predetermined number of tubes, and to flow back through a predetermined other bundle or number of tubes.

The circulating system has an inlet conduit of the character shown at l5, and a suitable pump l6 draws the circulating water from a source of supply and pumps it through the inlet conduit I 5 into the body of the condenser. Thence, the circulating water flows through the tubes and is ultimately discharged at the outlet I I.

It is obvious that the maintenance of a predetermined degree of purity of the condensate flowing from the outlet l2 requires that the condenser tubes be leak-proof, otherwise more and more of the circulating water would find its way into the condensing chamber and into the condensate. It is inevitable, however, that leakage will develop, in the course of time, and it is therefore customary to test the condensate from time to time to ascertain and maintain a check upon its purity. Sometimes the condensate is caused to pass through a device which automatically and continuously detects impurities, for example, by electrical means, as a result of which it is possible to maintain a constant check upon the condition of the condensate.

Regardless of the manner in which the condensate is tested, my present invention provides for a convenient, economical, and reliable method and means for temporarily plugging minor leaks whenever the purity of the condensate is found to fall below a predetermined minimum. A device of the present character is shownin association with the condenser III, at the left, and the construction of certain portions of the device is shown more clearly in Figure 2.

The device consists of a chamber or enclosure I! in which two spaced and aligned nozzles l8 and I9 are arranged. These nozzles are of more or less conventional character, adapted to permit the flow of a fluid therethrough, and designed to transform the energy of the fluid from a pressure condition to one of velocity.

Adjacent to the smaller end of the first nozzle I 8 is an inlet 20 for the fluid which is used, usually and preferably steam at a pressure of about pounds per square inch. A valve 2|, controlled by the handle 22, is adapted to control the inlet opening of the nozzle l8; and when this valve is seated, as shown in Figure 2, there is no flow of fluid through the chamber l1.

Communicating with the space between the nozzles I8 and I9 is a pipe or conduit 23 which leads upwardly to a hopper 24 adapted to accommodate a supply of the solid material. In the conduit 23 I arrange a suitable valve or closure 29 whose opening and closing is conveniently controlled by a handle of the character illustratively shown at 25. An ordinary gate valve arrangement is usually satisfactory.

Adjacent to the outlet end of the nozzle I9 I provide a valve 26, and this valve communicates through the pipe 21 with the inlet conduit l5 of the circulating system of the condenser. The

valve 26 preferably forms a part of the present device, when the latter is manufactured and assembled, and it is provided with threads at its outlet end to enable the same to be readily connected and attached to the inlet conduit l5, as, for example, by means of a nipple or conduit 21 of the character shown.

When the present device is installed in association with a condenser, it is a relatively simple matter to connect the pipe 20 with a source of high pressure fluid such as steam, and to connect the outlet end of the device to the circulating water system of the condenser, as, for example, by tablishing a connection with the inlet conduit IS. in the manner shown. Under normal running conditions, the valves 2|, 26, and 29 are closed. A I

supply of the comminuted, solid, leak-plugging material may be kept in the hopper 24, if desired, to be used when needed, or it may be inserted into the hopper just prior to the time that it is to be used.

When it is determined that leakage within the condenser is to be temporarily plugged, it is not necessary to withdraw the condenser from opera-' tion nor to interfere in any way with the con-v tinued operation of the circulating system. It is merely necessary to open the valve 26,, then to open the valve 2|, and finally to manipulate the valve 29 to the desired extent. The opening of the valve 22 produces a flow of the steam through the chamber IT, in the form of a stream which flows successively through the nozzles l8 and I9.

1. The combination with a water-tube con-' then proceeds at high velocity into the inlet conduit l5, and the circulating pump I6 serves to force the suspension, along with the circulating,

water, into and through the condenser tubes.

After the desired quantity of solid material has been fed into the chamber I1, and thus into the circulating system, the valve 29 is shut, and the valves 2| and 26 are then successively closed. The exact amount of material will vary under differing requirements, but experimentation will easily teach the approximate amount of solid material to be used forany given case.

The fact that the solid, leak-plugging material is in finely divided and suspended condition results in an assured circulation of it through the entire circulating system. At the leaky points or areas a certain amount of the circulating fluid will tend to flow out into the condensing chamber, and the suspended particles of leak-plugging material will accumulate in a very short time and mechanically plug the leak. The excess particles, not gathered in this way into plugging relationship with other particles, will continue to pass freely through the circulating system without the slightest impairment of the latter.

Merely by way of example, I will state that the amount of solid material usually employed is about a handful or so; that it takes but a few seconds for this amount to be fed into the injecting device; and that within five or ten minutes, at the most, after the material has been forced into the circulating system in suspended condition, a test of the condensate will usually show that the undesirable leakage has been temporarily remedied. Ordinarily, this temporary relief will be adequate to prevent further leakage for about a week or so; and in the meantime, the condenser may be caused to continue its function- It will be understood that changes in the details herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent denser including an inlet conduit for the cooling water, of means for injecting a stream of fluid into said inlet conduit at high velocity, and means for dispersing in said stream a predetermined quantity of comminuted leak-plugging solid material.

2. The combination with a water-tube condenser including an inlet conduit for the cooling water, of means for injecting a stream of fluid into .said inlet conduit at high velocity, and means for dispersing in said stream a predetermined quantity of comminuted leakplugging solid material, said last-named means comprising a chamber through whichsaid stream flows, a hopper for containing a supply of the solid material, and means for feeding a selected quantity of said material from the hopper into said chamber.

3. The combination with a water-tube condenser including an inlet conduit for the cooling water, of an injector for directing a jet of steam, at high velocity, into said inlet conduit, and means for dispersing in said steam jet a predetermined quantity of comminuted leak-plugging solid material.

4. The combination with a water-tube condenser including an inlet conduit for the cooling water, of an injector for directing a jet of steam, at high velocity, into said inlet conduit, said injector comprising a pair of aligned spaced nozzles, and means for dispersing insaid steam jet a predetermined quantity of comminuted leak-plugging solid material, said means comprising a hopper for said material arranged over the space between said nozzles, and means for feeding a selected quantity of said material from the hopper into said space.

5. The herein-described method of temporarily plugging leaks in a water-tube condenser without shutdown, which consists in producing a flow of steam at high velocity through an enclosure, feeding a selected quantity of comminuted leakplugging solid material laterally into said stream to cause a dispersion of said material in said stream, and injecting said suspension at high velocity into the inlet end of the water-circulat ing system of said condenser.

OSCAR J. WHEELER. 

